We call this the Christmas salad but it’s great any time of year. Broccoli Cauliflower Salad has only 4 ingredients with an easy honey lemon dressing that coats every delicious bite. It comes together quickly and is perfect for parties or dinner time. Make this and you will get recipe requests.
Most people think of Cauliflower as an ingredient that needs to be cooked into Cauliflower Soup or Roasted Cauliflower, but raw cauliflower is a real treat. It has the perfect taste and crunchy texture for salad.
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We love fresh broccoli salads like our Broccoli Apple Salad and Broccoli Grape Salad. If you are a fan of crisp fresh broccoli and cauliflower, you will make this creamy salad again and again. Broccoli and Cauliflower never tasted so good!
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Video
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Good recipes travel fast and this creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad recipe is one of them! One of my readers, Margarita Storchevoy, wrote in with this Christmas salad recipe and said it was one of her favorite recipes for the holidays. That same day we bought the ingredients and recreated it; love at first bite! Make this and you will get recipe requests.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad Ingredients
- Broccoli – use a medium head, cut into small florets
- Cauliflower – 1 medium head, chopped into small florets
- Dried Cranberries – adds a sweet-tanginess to the salad
- Pine Nuts or Sliced Almonds – toast the nuts on a dry skillet until golden for a more intense nutty flavor and crunchier texture.
Shortcut: I love my food chopper for chopping broccoli and cauliflower. It makes this job way easier and faster.
How to Select Cauliflower
- Look for tightly packed heads of white cauliflower. The leaves should be green and fresh-looking.
- Avoid cauliflower heads with brown specks or wilted leaves which are a sign of aging.
Creamy Honey-Lemon Dressing
This dressing doesn’t get any easier and we love that it uses honey to sweeten and balance the tanginess of the dressing.
- Mayonnaise – use real mayo for the best flavor
- Lemon juice – be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice (not from concentrate)
- Honey – we use 2 Tablespoons but you can add it to taste. Liquid honey will incorporate easier into the dressing.
Once You have all of your ingredients prepped and you’re ready to serve the salad, just add the dressing to taste and toss to combine then enjoy. It’s so easy!
Common Questions
Nuts add a great crunch, but you can easily substitute them for sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds, and toast them for deeper flavor.
Craisins or dried cranberries can easily be substituted with raisins. You can also use fresh grapes if you prefer, but double the amount.
We do not recommend using frozen broccoli or frozen cauliflower for this salad since the crunch won’t be present and it won’t keep as well once broccoli is thawed. Using frozen is also likely to water down the dressing in the salad.
Yes, this salad is grain-free and naturally gluten-free.
Make Ahead
Besides the amazing flavor, what I love most about this salad is the “make-ahead” factor. This salad is just as good (if not better) after it’s been in the fridge melding with the dressing overnight.
Storing Leftovers: cover and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, just be sure to stir and add more dressing to taste if needed.
Serve With
We love this creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad year-round for potlucks and BBQ’s. It pairs well with these main courses and sides:
- Baked Chicken Legs
- Juicy Burger Recipe
- Philly Cheesesteak
- Roasted Baby Red Potatoes
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1 medium broccoli head
- 1 medium cauliflower head
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries, craisins
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds or pine nuts, toasted on a dry skillet until golden
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 small lemon
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise*
Instructions
- Peel the broccoli stem and chop off the dry base. Chop broccoli into small florets and dice the stem if using.
- Remove and discard the cauliflower core and leaves and dice the rest into bite-sized pieces.
- Toast 1/2 cup pine nuts or almonds on a dry skillet over med/high heat, tossing frequently until fragrant and golden, then add to the salad bowl along with 3/4 cup craisins.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup mayo, 2 Tbsp honey and 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Add dressing to the salad and toss well to combine.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I Love Your Recipes! I especially like that they are printable! Thank you so much. Cheers, Sherry
It was surprising how flavorful this turned out to be! As others have stated, I also have a husband who doesn’t like cauliflower, but he loved this recipe! I didn’t expect to like it more than the normal broccoli salad with bacon and cheese, but I do. Thanks for this keeper!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Jamie! I’m so glad you found a new family favorite on my blog!
Tried it for the first time. Loved it. The best part was having an “I don’t eat broccoli or cauliflower” friend taste it. Needless to say he made a container to take home after eating a serving. We loved it.
That’s great, Karen!
Loved this! Took it to the end of year dinner gathering with our church small group and it was a huge hit with everyone! Most even took a small bowl of it home with them…that’s how I know they REALLY liked it. 😉 Thanks for yet another great recipe Natasha!
That’s awesome, Cheryl! I’m so glad it was a hit, thank you for sharing.
l had this salad for the first time
& omg l have never tasted anything like it before, absolutely loved it,
so delicious.
Your amazing & that dish was amazing .
Thank you
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
My husband & I love this salad, perfect side dish too. My husband loved it so much he ate it all in 2 days. So today I had to make it again so I can have some.
Hi Cindy! That’s great. So glad it’s a hit in the household. Thank you for the feedback and review. 🙂
Loved this cold veggie salad. I added chopped purple onion. I serve this in the summer as a cold salad. My husband added Feta to his, he loves this veggie salad.
Sounds delicious, Cindy! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Can you please include serving size in the amount section of your nutritional values sheet so we can establish portion size and amount of servings one recipe makes.
Thanks and keep up the great work!
Hi Paul! If you look at the top of the recipe card, it will tell you the number of servings per recipe. The nutrition facts are for one serving. We are always looking to improve our user experience but at the moment, it does not offer a portion size option. Thank you for your feedback and suggestion.
Made this for July 4th celebration. It was a HUGE hit!
I used vegenaise and dried cherries. Mixed it up ahead of time to allow the veggies to soften a bit. Will be making this quite often.
Thanks so much
That’s great! I’m glad you found this recipe. Thank you for sharing your experience.